Poetry as a lifesaver for Jimmy Santiago Baca

Baker, Rob. "Jimmy Santiago Baca." The Norton Field Guide to Writing. By Richard H. Bullock. Second ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2009. 838-41. Print.
Jimmy Santiago Baca had a rough childhood and teen years. His parents abondoned him when he was seven years old and he was in and out of detention centers. At the age of 21 he was sent to prison for five to ten years. He found poetry as an escape, an outlet from the life in a prison. He then became a great poet after he was released and even taught teens at workshops.